Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport
São Luís–Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport Aeroporto Internacional de São Luís–Marechal Cunha Machado | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | |||||||||||||||
| Serves | São Luís | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | BRT (UTC−03:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 54 m / 177 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 02°35′13″S 044°14′10″W / 2.58694°S 44.23611°W | ||||||||||||||
| Website | aeroportos | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  SLZ Location in Brazil | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Statistics: Motiva[1] Sources: Airport Website,[2] ANAC,[3] DECEA[4] | |||||||||||||||
São Luís–Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport (IATA: SLZ, ICAO: SBSL), formerly called Tirirical Airport, is the airport serving São Luís, Brazil. Since 17 October 1985, the airport is named after Air Marshall Hugo da Cunha Machado (1898–1989), born in Maranhão.[5]
It is operated by Motiva.
History
In 1942, a grass track measuring one thousand meters (runway 09/27), which served the airbase of the Brazilian Army, was the only way that São Luís had to receive flights. Runway 06/24 was built as part of the US base which began operating in 1943.
In 1974, technical jurisdiction, administrative and operational services were transferred to Infraero.
The new terminal of the airport was opened in June 1998 and in October 2004, it was upgraded to international category.
Previously operated by Infraero, on April 7, 2021, CCR won a 30-year concession to operate the airport.[6] On April 26, 2025 CCR was rebranded as Motiva.[7]
On November 18, 2025 the entire airports portfolio of Motiva was sold to the Mexican airport operator ASUR. Motiva will cease to operate airports.[8] On February 10, 2026 the transaction was still pending government approval.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | Belém, Belo Horizonte–Confins, Campinas, Imperatriz, Recife |
| Gol Linhas Aéreas | Brasília, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Salvador da Bahia, São Paulo–Guarulhos Seasonal: Belo Horizonte–Confins, Fortaleza |
| LATAM Brasil | Brasília, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Congonhas, São Paulo–Guarulhos |
| TAP Air Portugal | Lisbon (begins 27 October 2026)[9] |
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Gol Linhas Aéreas | São Paulo–Guarulhos,[10] Teresina[10] |
Statistics
Following are the number of passenger, aircraft and cargo movements at the airport, according to Infraero (2007-2021) and CCR (2022-2025) reports:[11][12][1]
| Year | Passenger | Aircraft | Cargo (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,839,199  23% |
21,565 12% |
|
| 2024 | 1,490,915  4% |
19,192 5% |
|
| 2023 | 1,548,876 | 20,205 | 4,060 |
| 2022a | 1,128,108 | 16,585 | 3,403 |
| 2021 | 1,116,871 34% |
15,754 28% |
3,611 39%
|
| 2020 | 836,336 50% |
12,311 31% |
2,602 52%
|
| 2019 | 1,675,549 5% |
17,816 5% |
5,430 2%
|
| 2018 | 1,598,004  |
18,733 5% |
5,300 27%
|
| 2017 | 1,601,836 5% |
19,695 4% |
4,188 20%
|
| 2016 | 1,520,847 11% |
18,880 20% |
3,495 30%
|
| 2015 | 1,701,015 7% |
23,470 9% |
4,488 24%
|
| 2014 | 1,833,799 1% |
25,821 8% |
6,530 8%
|
| 2013 | 1,815,909 9% |
27,975 8% |
7,063 12%
|
| 2012 | 1,991,099 8% |
30,358 9% |
8,018 15%
|
| 2011 | 1,843,384 34% |
27,924 18% |
9,477 18%
|
| 2010 | 1,379,146 40% |
23,643 23% |
8,000 9%
|
| 2009 | 984,756 13% |
19,284 |
7,330 5%
|
| 2008 | 870,784 3% |
19,310 3% |
7,693 10%
|
| 2007 | 900,357 | 19,994 | 6,973 |
Note:
a: 2022 series provided by CCR is incomplete, lacking data for the months of January, February and part of March.
Accidents and incidents
- 1 June 1973: a Cruzeiro do Sul Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI N registration PP-PDX operating flight 109 from Belém-Val de Cans to São Luís crashed on approach to São Luís. Engine no.1 lost power and the aircraft attained an extreme nose-up attitude. It stalled and crashed 760m to the right of the runway. All 23 passengers and crew died.[13][14]
- 3 February 1984: a Cruzeiro do Sul Airbus A300B4-203 operating flight 302 en route from São Luís to Belém-Val de Cans with 176 passengers and crew aboard was hijacked by 3 persons who demanded to be taken to Cuba. The flight reached Camagüey in less than a day. There were no deaths among the victims.[15]
Access
The airport is located 15 km (9 mi) from downtown São Luís.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Informações operacionais-movimentação aeroportuária". Motiva (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "São Luís". Motiva (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Aeródromos". ANAC (in Portuguese). 29 June 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Marechal Cunha Machado (SBSL)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Lei n˚7.383, de 17 de outubro de 1985". Presidência da República (in Portuguese). 17 October 1985. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Governo federal arrecada R$ 3,3 bilhões com leilão de 22 aeroportos". Agência Brasil (in Portuguese). 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ "CCR agora é Motiva". Neofeed (in Portuguese). 14 July 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Motiva (MOTV3) vende aeroportos para Asur por R$ 11,5 bilhões". Infomoney (in Portuguese). 19 November 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Pela primeira vez na história, São Luís terá voos internacionais regulares com a chegada da TAP". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 29 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Conheça a rede aérea da Gol para o Mercado Livre; primeiro voo liga Guarulhos a Fortaleza". Aeroin (in Portuguese). 18 August 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "Anuário Estatístico Operacional" (PDF). Infraero (in Portuguese). 12 April 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ "Estatísticas". Infraero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ "Accident description PP-PDX". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "O mistério do Tirirical". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 279–284. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
- ^ "Incident description 3 February 1984". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
External links
- Airport information for SBSL at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- Current weather for SBSL at NOAA/NWS
Airports in Maranhão  | |
|---|---|